Career profile for Home Appliance Mechanic

What does a Home Appliance Mechanic do?

Home Appliance Mechanics repair, adjust, or install all types of electric or gas household appliances, such as refrigerators, washers, dryers, and ovens.

What kind of tasks does a Home Appliance Mechanic perform regularly?

Home Appliance Mechanics are often responsible for overseeing or executing some or all of the following tasks:

Bill customers for repair work, and collect payment.
Talk to customers or refer to work orders to establish the nature of appliance malfunctions.
Observe and examine appliances during operation to detect specific malfunctions such as loose parts or leaking fluid.
Refer to schematic drawings, product manuals, and troubleshooting guides to diagnose and repair problems.
Trace electrical circuits, following diagrams, and conduct tests with circuit testers and other equipment to locate shorts and grounds.
Replace worn and defective parts such as switches, bearings, transmissions, belts, gears, circuit boards, or defective wiring.
Provide repair cost estimates, and recommend whether appliance repair or replacement is a better choice.
Disassemble appliances so that problems can be diagnosed and repairs can be made.
Respond to emergency calls for problems such as gas leaks.
Service and repair domestic electrical or gas appliances, such as clothes washers, refrigerators, stoves, and dryers.
Reassemble units after repairs are made, making adjustments and cleaning and lubricating parts as needed.
Record maintenance and repair work performed on appliances.
Test and examine gas pipelines and equipment to locate leaks and faulty connections, and to determine the pressure and flow of gas.
Instruct customers regarding operation and care of appliances, and provide information such as emergency service numbers.
Light and adjust pilot lights on gas stoves, and examine valves and burners for gas leakage and specified flame.
Contact supervisors or offices to receive repair assignments.
Maintain stocks of parts used in on-site installation, maintenance, and repair of appliances.
Level refrigerators, adjust doors, and connect water lines to water pipes for ice makers and water dispensers, using hand tools.
Observe and test operation of appliances following installation, and make any initial installation adjustments that are necessary.
Install appliances such as refrigerators, washing machines, and stoves.
Set appliance thermostats, and check to ensure that they are functioning properly.
Level washing machines and connect hoses to water pipes, using hand tools.
Clean and reinstall parts.
Clean, lubricate, and touch up minor defects on newly installed or repaired appliances.

The above responsibilities are specific to Home Appliance Mechanics. More generally, Home Appliance Mechanics are involved in several broader types of activities:

Activities	Importance	Details
Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment		Running, maneuvering, navigating, or driving vehicles or mechanized equipment, such as forklifts, passenger vehicles, aircraft, or watercraft.
Getting Information		Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge		Keeping up-to-date technically and applying new knowledge to your job.
Performing for or Working Directly with the Public		Performing for people or dealing directly with the public. This includes serving customers in restaurants and stores, and receiving clients or guests.
Handling and Moving Objects		Using hands and arms in handling, installing, positioning, and moving materials, and manipulating things.

Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment

Running, maneuvering, navigating, or driving vehicles or mechanized equipment, such as forklifts, passenger vehicles, aircraft, or watercraft.

Getting Information

Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.

Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge

Keeping up-to-date technically and applying new knowledge to your job.

Performing for or Working Directly with the Public

Performing for people or dealing directly with the public. This includes serving customers in restaurants and stores, and receiving clients or guests.

Handling and Moving Objects

Using hands and arms in handling, installing, positioning, and moving materials, and manipulating things.

What is a Home Appliance Mechanic salary?

The median salary for a Home Appliance Mechanic is $41,610, and the average salary is $43,810. Both the median and average roughly describe the middle of the Home Appliance Mechanic salary range, but the average is more easily affected by extremely high or low salaries.

Many Home Appliance Mechanics earn significantly more or less than the average, due to several factors. About 10% of Home Appliance Mechanics earn less than $25,000 per year, 25% earn less than $32,170, 75% earn less than $52,920, and 90% earn less than $65,640.

Between the years of 2020 and 2030, the number of Home Appliance Mechanics is expected to change by -3.8%, and there should be roughly 2,900 open positions for Home Appliance Mechanics every year.

Median annual salary: $41,610
Typical salary range: $25,000 - $65,640
Projected growth (2020 - 2030): -3.8%

What personality traits are common among Home Appliance Mechanics?

Interests

Career interests describe a person's preferences for different types of working environments and activities. When a person's interest match the demands of an occupation, people are usually more engaged and satisfied in that role.

Compared to most occupations, those who work as a Home Appliance Mechanic are usually higher in their Realistic, Conventional, and Investigative interests.

Home Appliance Mechanics typically have very strong Realistic interests. Realistic occupations frequently involve work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They often deal with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery. Many of the occupations require working outside, and do not involve a lot of paperwork or working closely with others.

Also, Home Appliance Mechanics typically have strong Conventional interests. Conventional occupations frequently involve following set procedures and routines. These occupations can include working with data and details more than with ideas. Usually there is a clear line of authority to follow.

Lastly, Home Appliance Mechanics typically have moderate Investigative interests. Investigative occupations frequently involve working with ideas, and require an extensive amount of thinking. These occupations can involve searching for facts and figuring out problems mentally.

Values

People differ in their values, or what is most important to them for building job satisfaction and fulfillment.

Compared to most people, those working as a Home Appliance Mechanic tend to value Independence, Support, and Working Conditions.

Most importantly, Home Appliance Mechanics moderately value Independence. Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to work on their own and make decisions.

Second, Home Appliance Mechanics moderately value Support. Occupations that satisfy this work value offer supportive management that stands behind employees.

Lastly, Home Appliance Mechanics moderately value Working Conditions. Occupations that satisfy this work value offer job security and good working conditions.

Psychological Demands

Each occupation brings its own set of psychological demands, which describe the characteristics necessary to perform the job well.

In order to perform their job successfully, people who work as Home Appliance Mechanics must consistently demonstrate qualities such as integrity, attention to detail, and dependability.

Below, you'll find a list of qualities typically required of Home Appliance Mechanics, ranked by importance:

Demands	Importance	Details
Integrity		Job requires being honest and ethical.
Attention to Detail		Job requires being careful about detail and thorough in completing work tasks.
Dependability		Job requires being reliable, responsible, and dependable, and fulfilling obligations.
Cooperation		Job requires being pleasant with others on the job and displaying a good-natured, cooperative attitude.
Independence		Job requires developing one's own ways of doing things, guiding oneself with little or no supervision, and depending on oneself to get things done.

Integrity

Job requires being honest and ethical.

Attention to Detail

Job requires being careful about detail and thorough in completing work tasks.

Dependability

Job requires being reliable, responsible, and dependable, and fulfilling obligations.

Cooperation

Job requires being pleasant with others on the job and displaying a good-natured, cooperative attitude.

Independence

Job requires developing one's own ways of doing things, guiding oneself with little or no supervision, and depending on oneself to get things done.

What education and training do Home Appliance Mechanics need?

Working as a Home Appliance Mechanic usually requires a high school diploma.

Home Appliance Mechanics need anywhere from a few months to one year of working with experienced employees. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with this occupation.

Educational degrees among Home Appliance Mechanics

13.7% did not complete high school or secondary school
38.6% completed high school or secondary school
29.0% completed some college coursework
10.6% earned a Associate's degree
6.8% earned a Bachelor's degree
0.6% earned a Master's degree
0.7% earned a doctorate or professional degree

Knowledge and expertise required by Home Appliance Mechanics

Home Appliance Mechanics may benefit from understanding of specialized subject areas, such as customer and personal service, mechanical, or administration and management knowledge.

The list below shows several areas in which most Home Appliance Mechanics might want to build proficiency, ranked by importance.

Knowledge areas	Importance	Details
Customer and Personal Service		Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
Mechanical		Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
Administration and Management		Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
Administrative		Knowledge of administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.
Computers and Electronics		Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.

Customer and Personal Service

Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.

Mechanical

Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.

Administration and Management

Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.

Administrative

Knowledge of administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.

Computers and Electronics

Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.

Important Abilities needed by Home Appliance Mechanics

Home Appliance Mechanics must develop a particular set of abilities to perform their job well. Abilities are individual capacities that influence a person's information processing, sensory perception, motor coordination, and physical strength or endurance. Individuals may naturally have certain abilities without explicit training, but most abilities can be sharpened somewhat through practice.

For example, Home Appliance Mechanics need abilities such as arm-hand steadiness, oral expression, and problem sensitivity in order to perform their job at a high level. The list below shows several important abilities for Home Appliance Mechanics, ranked by their relative importance.

Abilities	Importance	Details
Arm-Hand Steadiness		The ability to keep your hand and arm steady while moving your arm or while holding your arm and hand in one position.
Oral Expression		The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
Problem Sensitivity		The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing that there is a problem.
Manual Dexterity		The ability to quickly move your hand, your hand together with your arm, or your two hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble objects.
Finger Dexterity		The ability to make precisely coordinated movements of the fingers of one or both hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble very small objects.

Arm-Hand Steadiness

The ability to keep your hand and arm steady while moving your arm or while holding your arm and hand in one position.

Oral Expression

The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.

Problem Sensitivity

The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing that there is a problem.

Manual Dexterity

The ability to quickly move your hand, your hand together with your arm, or your two hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble objects.

Finger Dexterity

The ability to make precisely coordinated movements of the fingers of one or both hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble very small objects.

Critical Skills needed by Home Appliance Mechanics

Skills are developed capacities that enable people to function effectively in real-world settings. Unlike abilities, skills are typically easier to build through practice and experience. Skills influence effectiveness in areas such as learning, working with others, design, troubleshooting, and more.

Home Appliance Mechanics frequently use skills like repairing, critical thinking, and equipment maintenance to perform their job effectively. The list below shows several critical skills for Home Appliance Mechanics, ranked by their relative importance.

Skills	Importance	Details
Repairing		Repairing machines or systems using the needed tools.
Critical Thinking		Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
Equipment Maintenance		Performing routine maintenance on equipment and determining when and what kind of maintenance is needed.
Troubleshooting		Determining causes of operating errors and deciding what to do about it.
Speaking		Talking to others to convey information effectively.

Repairing

Repairing machines or systems using the needed tools.

Critical Thinking

Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.

Equipment Maintenance

Performing routine maintenance on equipment and determining when and what kind of maintenance is needed.

Troubleshooting

Determining causes of operating errors and deciding what to do about it.

Speaking

Talking to others to convey information effectively.

What is the source of this information?

The information provided on this page is adapted from data and descriptions published by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration under the CC BY 4.0 license. TraitLab has modified some information for ease of use and reading, and the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment, and Training Administration has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications.

If you have any questions or suggestions about this information, please send a message.

Career profile Home Appliance Mechanic

Home Appliance Mechanic

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